Contract given for solid-organ transplantation research

MINNEAPOLIS, Sept. 24 /PRNewswire/ -- As part of the federal government's ongoing effort to improve the lives of organ transplant recipients and patients awaiting organ transplants, the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) has awarded researchers at the Minneapolis Medical Research Foundation (MMRF) a multimillion-dollar contract to maintain and analyze data on solid-organ transplantation in the United States. Analyses to be conducted by MMRF researchers and allied investigators will support the development of regional and national policies designed to ensure the fair and efficient distribution of life-sustaining organs such as hearts, lungs, kidneys, pancreata, livers, and intestines.

Under the contract, MMRF researchers will operate the Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients (SRTR). They will use sophisticated analytical techniques to evaluate current national Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN) policy and project the effects of OPTN policies being considered. They will evaluate patient outcomes and transplant center performance, as well as transplant-related costs. The contract calls for a publicly available annual data report and a biennial report to the United States Congress. In addition to its work with the government, other project objectives include providing more information to patients, families, and the general public.

The project will be directed by Bertram L. Kasiske, MD, FACP, with key assistance from Ajay K. Israni, MD, MS, and Jon J. Snyder, PhD, MS. Dr. Kasiske looks forward to his tenure as the SRTR Project Director: "For this project, we've assembled an outstanding team of clinicians and researchers who will build on past progress at a time when further progress is sorely needed in the area of transplantation." As described by Dr. Israni, the state of organ transplantation in the US has become critical: "The number of organ transplant procedures conducted each year has grown steadily as the burden of chronic disease has increased. Currently, there are far more people waiting for organs than there are organs available. Unfortunately, around 7,000 people will die each year while they wait for a viable organ transplant." By conducting extensive analyses of the data in the registry, Dr. Kasiske and his team will contribute to improved allocation of precious organs and better outcomes for patients who receive them.

The transplant registry will be based in the MMRF's Chronic Disease Research Group (CDRG), which is directed by Allan J. Collins, MD, FACP. This group also serves as the coordinating center for the North Central Donor Exchange Cooperative (a collaboration between kidney transplant centers in the Upper Midwest), as well as the coordinating center for the United States Renal Data System, the data coordinating center for the Kidney Early Evaluation Program of the National Kidney Foundation (NKF), and the data coordinating center for the CKD (Chronic Kidney Disease) Health Evaluation Risk Information Sharing project being conducted by the NKF in collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Under Dr. Collins, the CDRG has received international recognition for its analyses of chronic disease states, including chronic kidney disease, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes. Through the efforts of the CDRG and other research divisions, the MMRF has become a leader in disease surveillance. The addition of the SRTR will further expand and strengthen MMRF's role as an authority in the area of chronic disease surveillance.